By running the water directly alongside the chips the system can pack even more chips into a smaller space without creating a ton of heat. Less heat means you need less AC to cool the system and thus less energy. This technology should show up in data centers within the next five-to-10 years.

Fans of reuse and conservation may wonder what to do with all that water. Well IBM thinks it could go to heat office buildings or provide hot water, as illustrated in the video below. Right now, some innovative companies are using heated air from a data center to take care of heating and electrical needs. Qualcomm uses heat expelled from servers to help run a cogeneration plant at its W campus in San Diego.